Politics and Policy

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The Merit Shop Philosophy

Associated Builders and Contractors advances the principles of free enterprise and merit in the construction industry by focusing lobbying efforts on issues related to union organizing, workers compensation reform, and public procurement restrictions such as apprenticeship and prevailing wage requirements.

Our Mission

Our Government Affairs Councilis devoted exclusively to the advancement of the Merit Shop philosophy, which encourages open competition, and a free-enterprise approach that awards contacts based solely on merit, regardless of labor affiliation. We are successful in because of the impact we have on elections, our State Political Action Committee and our National Government Affairs Team.

We are committed to being your voice in this industry and we invite you to join us in continuing our legacy for fighting for government transparency and prevailing wage standards. Please contact ABC at 800.640.7789 for more information.

Building America: The Merit Shop Scorecardreviews and ranks state-specific information that is significant to the construction industry. The scorecard is a tool to identify states that are embracing the merit shop philosophy via legislation, policies, priorities and valuable programs, as well as highlight states where proactive and strategic improvements need to be executed to create an environment conducive to the industry’s needs.

Why I Belong to ABC

"ABC is the only organization in the construction industry that is committed to the merit shop philosophy and has an active voice and presence in local and national politics. It is a true advocate for the issues that directly affect our business like PLA, Prevailing Wage, Land I, and union organizing. It offers valuable current information on legislative actions and also has numerous education programs that help me run my business safely and efficiently."